The present invention relates to a peptide derived from an antigen recognized by autoantibodies from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, which peptide is reactive with autoimmune antibodies from a patient suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
Such a peptide is known from the European patent application 0 511 116 (Clonatec S. A.). This application describes an antigen comprising a filaggrin or profilaggrin fragment. The peptide is recognized by rheumatoid arthritis-specific autoimmune antibodies. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease. It is the most commonly occurring inflammatory disease of the joints, it is chronic and may lead to severe physical disablement.